Liquid sealed trap



w. sJRAE, JR

LIQUID SEALED TRAP Filed May 16, 1945 INVEN TOR. Walter 5.-Rae,fz-.

flaw/47 7129 W Oct. 18, 1949.

V ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID SEALED TRAP Walter S. Rae, Jr., West Allis, Wis., assignor to The Falk Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 16, 1945, Serial No. 594,019

4, Claims.

permanent seal for the bottom of a lubricant retainer housing to prevent leakage losses through a shaft opening therein.

Another object is to provide a liquid sealed trap for the purposes indicated in which the trapped liquid is maintained out of contact with the sealing liquid to thereby avoid impairing the effectiveness of the sealing liquid or the quality of the trapped liquid.

Another object is to provide a liquid sealed trap so constructed as to effectively retain the sealing liquid during handling and shipment.

Other more specific objects and advantages will appear, expressed or implied, from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a housed gear set equipped with a liquid sealed trap constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the trap shown in Fig. 1.

The gear set selected for illustration comprises a vertically split substantially circular housing I having a driven shaft ll projecting vertically through the bottom thereof. The shaft II is shown journalled in a lower bearing I2 seated in an appropriate bored hub l3 and an upper bearing I4 seated in a suitable support spanning the interior of the housing. A gear [5 fixed to the shaft ll meshes with a pinion I5 formed on a vertical counter shaft I! which also carries a gear 18 that meshes with and is driven by a pinion [9 on the rotor shaft 20 of a motor 2|. The motor 2i, seated upon and fixed to the housing l0, provides a top closure therefor. The several operating parts are in this instance lubricated by a bath of oil confined within the housing [0.

The liquid sealed trap shown is effective to seal the housing I 0 against loss of oil through the bored hub l3 through which the shaft ll projects. It comprises a stationary part in the form of a hollow annular structure 22 externally applied to the bottom of the housing and a cooperating rotating part in the form of a flanged disk 23 fixed to the shaft II.

In this instance the stationary hollow structure 22 is provided with an upstanding circular flange 24 having a pressed fit within the hub I3 and grooved to receive an appropriate sealing gasket 25 between it and the hub l3. The inner peripheral wall of the structure 22 is in the form of an upstanding circular flange 26 of a diameter -to loosely encircle the shaft ll. standing circular flange 21 is provided between A third upthe flanges 24 and 26. Flange 2'! is carried by the depressed top 28 of the structure 22 and preferably extends downward to a point not far from the bottom 29 of the structure for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Flange 21 also cooperates with flange 24 to form an annular channel 30 positioned to intercept all oil that may escape from the housing Ill through the hub I3. A shallow annular groove 3| provided at the base of the flange 26 provides a retainer well for a supply of sealing liquid 32, preferably of high specific gravity such as mercury; and the bottom 29 of the structure is preferably fashioned to slope toward the groove 3| to direct the sealing liquid thereto.

The rotating disk 23 is shown provided with a supporting hub 33 fixed to the shaft H. The

'disk 23 carries a deep ring or baffle 34 disposed between the flanges 26 and 21 and extending downward into sealing contact with the liquid in the well 3|, and a second ring or baffle 35 carried by the disk is disposed to extend downward between the flanges 24 and 21 into sealing contact with the intercepted oil contained in the channel 30.

It will thus be noted that the annular chamber 38 within the hollow structure 22. is effectively closed and sealed by the baflle rings 34 and 35, the ring 34 coacting with the liquid in well 3! to seal this chamber at one point and the ring 35 coacting with the liquid in the channel 30 to seal it at the only other point of possible outlet; and it will of course be understood that the body of air thus trapped within the chamber 38 reacts on the exposed surface of the liquid in the channel 30 to effectively sustain the head of oil in the housing Ill.

The trap and particularly the non-rotating part thereof, including the hollow structure 22 containing the sealing liquid 32, is preferably 3 applied to the bottom of the housing before the latter has received its supply of oil. Then when the oil is admitted to the housing, some of this oil finds its way through the hub l3 into the channel where it cooperates with the lower edge of the baflle 'to effectively trap the air contained in the chamber 38 and in the upper part of the channel 30. Thereafter, as the level of the oil between the bafile 35 and fiange 27 rises, this trapped air is thereby compressed and its pressure increased to a value capable of sustaining the head of oil in the housing. In this connection it will be noted that the spacing between the baffle 35 and flange 21 is such that a moderate rise in the oil level therein is sufiicient to increase the air pressure to a point where it will sustain the head of oil, so that the oil level in the channel 30 never reaches the upper edge of the flange 27, and so that the latter functions as a barrier to prevent contact between this oil and the sealing liquid in the chamber 38.

It will also be observed that before the hollow structure 22 has been applied to the housing l0 it is open to the atmosphere through'the narrow channel between the flanges 26 and 21 and through the relatively narrow gap 39 between the bottom of the flange 21 and the bottom of the chamber 38. Nevertheless, with those parts constructed and arranged in the manner hereinabove described, it is impossible for the liquid 32 to escape from the chamber 38 no matter how the structure may be tilted or even inverted. Only a small charge of sealing liquid is required for successful operation and the capacity of the chamber 38 is such as to confine this liquid wholly below the gap 39 whenever the structure 22 is tilted through any angle or in any direction from the position shown. After the structure 22 has once been charged with the small amount of sealing liquid required, this liquid thus becomes and remains a unitary part of the structure permitting the latter to be safely handled and shipped without danger of liquid loss.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention hereinafter specifically described without departing from or sacrificing the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A seal for a liquid retainer housing having a rotary shaft extending through a bottom opening in said housing, said seal comprising a hollow structure for support by said housing, said structure being shaped to provide an annular air chamber and having a cover portion overlying said chamber, said cover portion having an annular channel for intercepting leakage through said opening, said structure also having an upstanding ring spaced from said cover portion, and a member rotatable with said shaft and having a circular bafiie projectable between said ring and cover portion into sealing contact with liquid in said chamber, said member also having a second the outer periphery thereof, said structure also having an upstanding ring cooperating with said cover portion to form a channel for intercepting leakage through said opening, said structure also having a second upstanding ring spaced inwardly from said first named ring, and a member rotatable with said shaft and having a circular baflle extending between said rings into sealing contact with liquid in the bottom of said structure, said member also having a, second circular baffle for sealing contact with liquid in said channel and cooperating with said first named baffle to trap the air within said structure.

3. A seal of the character described comprising two members one rotatable relative to the other, one of said members having an annular air chamber therein, the bottom of said chamber having a portion thereof depressed to form an annular liquid retainer well, said chamber having an overlying cover portion shaped to provide a liquid retainer channel, a circular baffle carried by the other of said members and projectable below said cover portion into sealing contact with liquid in said Well, and a second circular bafiie carried by said other member for sealing contact with liquid in said channel.

4. In a seal of the character described a liquid retainer member therefor comprising a hollow structure having an annular air chamber therein, the bottom of said chamber being closed and being depressed along the inner periphery thereof to form a liquid receiving well, the cover of said chamber extending inwardly from the outer periphery thereof, and the inner peripheral Wall being extended upwardly from said bottom above said cover and spaced therefrom to provide an annular opening in the top of said chamber, and a circular flange depending from said cover adjacent said opening to prevent loss of liquid from said chamber upon inverting the same.

WALTER S. RAE, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 725,937 Craig Apr. 21, 1903 1,078,727 Geiger Nov. 18, 1913 1,887,006 Boensch Nov. 8, 1932 1,931,706 Powell Oct. 24, 1933 2,039,493 Quilliam May 5, 1936 

